WILLIAM GOSSAGE 11 



of the total sulphur employed went into "vat 

 waste." To save this sulphur was one of his 

 earliest efforts, and as year after year passed 

 by, we find him struggling with the difficulties 

 of the problem, sealing patent upon patent. 

 In the paper read in 1861, to which we have 

 before adverted, he says on this subject : 

 "Thus was presented a problem, which, if it 

 could be solved, would effect a large reduction 

 in the cost of soda. Many chemists, both 

 scientific and practical, had given a great 

 amount of attention to the subject ; he had 

 been so unfortunate as to be amongst that 

 number, as he had devoted a great proportion 

 of his time during a quarter of a century, and 

 a large amount of both money and labour 

 to this delusive subject. He commenced by 

 demonstrating that one equivalent of carbonic 

 acid would decompose one equivalent of 

 sulphuret of calcium, producing mono-car- 

 bonate of lime and sulphide of hydrogen. 

 This decomposition was contrary to the 

 received views of the scientific chemists of 

 that clay, as it was held that an excess of 

 carbonic acid was needful to effect the per- 

 fect decomposition of sulphides. He was 

 convinced that whenever the utilisation of the 

 su/phur in alkali waste should be effected it 



